Local Govt Minister challenges National over water policy, co-governance

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty says Tairāwhiti’s voice will be heard under the relaunched Affordable Water Reforms.

The minister, who was in Gisborne yesterday, also says the National Party is trying to scare the public over co-governance and does not want a debate about the costs of water under their policy and the Government’s proposal.

“Show me your figures. They can’t.”

Previous National governments had made co-governance arrangements, he said.

He pointed to then-Deputy Prime Minister Bill English having sworn an affidavit in the Supreme Court in 2009 Maori had a special interest in water.

Mr McAnulty said he was keen to speak directly to Herald readers who had concerns about co-governance.

“Gisborne District Council has been working on a very similar basis for a long time,” he said

“It’s a good council. They deliver as best as they can for their region. No one has missed out as a result. If it can work here, it can work elsewhere.”

The minister said Gisborne “was on my mind” when he was given the task of trying to make the Government’s controversial Three Waters reforms — rebranded as Affordable Water Reforms — work.

Under the current system each ratepayer would face an annual $9000 bill for water only in 30 years time, he said.

That was not sustainable.

The relaunched policy sees 10 Water Service Entities or WSE (Gisborne is grouped with Hawke’s Bay), rather than the original four large WSE (with Gisborne’s region extending down to the top of the South Island and including Wellington).

Modelling shows Gisborne ratepayers will face annual water costs of $4010 in 30 years time under 10 WSE, compared to $2030 under the four original WES.

Mr McAnulty said the 10 WSE gave a balance between economies of scale and having a local voice.

There were more cost savings under four WSE but “not every community got a voice.”

“In a small, isolated region like Tairāwhiti there was every chance your needs could have been overlooked for the needs of the larger urban centres.”

The Government looked at 16 WSE based on regional council boundaries and including Gisborne as a unitary authority.

“But you just can’t do it; it’s just not feasible.

“Gisborne being in a WSE with Hawke’s Bay should go a long way to reassuring the Gisborne public that not only will we save them money, but we will ensure their needs are met in an affordable way.

The four WSE would have the scale to borrow while taking debt off the books of councils.

Many councils, although not Gisborne, were over their debt cap.